The Brewmaster

Jamie Emmerson / Full Sail Brewing Company
Hood River, Oregon

Jamie Emmerson doesn’t mind being called a geek, just as long as you include “beer” in the title. For more than 20 years, Jamie has been the head beer geek at Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, Oregon.  For the last two decades he’s been living every brewer’s dream; to own a brewery, have the freedom to be innovative, brew beers of world class quality, and do it in an unreal place where all summer the wind pumps and all winter the snow dumps.  Over the years he’s put his mark on Oregon’s craft brewing industry that has redefined what makes up a great glass of suds.

For Jamie, it’s all about the beer. His love for brewing beer began in college as a home brewer. His double major in organic chemistry and German led him to study in Munich, Germany, the source of brewing.  From there, he went on to study at the Siebel’s Institute of Brewing Technology in Chicago, where he graduated in 1987. He headed west when he was hired as Full Sail’s brewmaster.  Not long after, the brewery garnered its first heavy metal: A gold for Amber at the 1989 Great American Beer Festival.  Since, the brewery has gone on to rack up 60-plus medals and awards in national and international competitions.  In addition to developing the recipes for Full Sail’s award winning brews such as Amber, Pale, LTD, IPA, Session Premium lager and Session Black, (just to name a few) Jamie has worked in every job at the brewery from grain to glass.

Jamie designed and supervised all of the brewery’s expansions, including the current facility and brewing systems, which have won the brewery numerous sustainability awards. In addition to a passionate love for all things beer, Jamie is the brewery’s technology guru.